San Diego , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Another player has entered the immigration battle as the Justice Department sues Arizona over its new immigration law . And the reason the fight is centered in Arizona is that reform has failed in Washington .

Like the characters in `` Hot Tub Time Machine , '' reformers are stuck in 1986 . That 's when Congress passed , and President Reagan signed into law , the Immigration Reform and Control Act , which married border control and the legalization of millions of illegal immigrants .

Reformers today are misguided to seek a similar `` grand bargain '' on immigration . History shows 1986 was an anomaly , and the desire to get everything for a controversial group typically gets nothing . But there 's hope : A few in the movement have begun to see that getting meaningful action will require small steps and `` mini-bargains . ''

How did we get here ? The Immigration Reform and Control Act , the bill resulting from the 1986 grand bargain , proved to be a spectacular failure . Although it legalized 3 million people , the border and enforcement provisions were toothless . By 2009 , the Department of Homeland Security said there were 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States -- nearly matching the population of Ohio .

Reformers today still try to link legalization of the vast majority of resident illegals with stronger enforcement mechanisms -- just as they did in 1986 . But the 1986 grand bargain taught today 's immigration restrictionists a simple lesson : Do n't make any more grand bargains . Many in Congress will not support mass legalization unless the enforcement mechanisms are proven to work . That could take years .

Nearly all Republicans and many Democrats will vote against legalization because their most vocal constituents oppose benefits to those they see as morally unworthy . Illegals , they say , violated the law and American sovereignty , put American security at risk and then took American jobs .

The way forward out of the stalemate should start the way all policy starts that benefits unpopular groups : Target the most deserving . Modern civil rights policy started small in a 1941 Roosevelt executive order : No discrimination against African-Americans working in defense industries . Big changes start with small steps .

Similarly , immigration reformers must start with the strongest claims to legalization : students and soldiers . Hundreds of thousands of kids are undocumented because their parents brought them here . The best students in cities such as Los Angeles , California -- high achieving , polite and outgoing , and as accent-free as any suburban kid -- often turn out to be illegal immigrants . They did n't choose to break any law , but their legal status leaves them with no opportunities . Thousands more young people are willing to fight with the United States military , but can not .

Sens. Dick Durbin , D-Illinois , and Richard Lugar , R-Indiana , introduced the `` DREAM '' act in 2009 to offer legal status to these young people who were brought here as children and finished college or two years of military service . Starting reform with DREAM would target the most deserving of the undocumented .

Supporters of comprehensive reform and legalization worry that the DREAM act will take away the impetus for further reform and benefit only a fraction of the illegal immigrants in the United States .

Yet the current strategy has benefited no one . Although it is true that the DREAM act will initially help only a few hundred-thousand , pro-Latino reformers should not forget the lesson of minority rights since the 1940s : Rights expand over time , covering more groups and more issues . After the students and veterans gain legalization , the next step would be their families . Family unification may be another sympathetic cause and political winner .

Restrictionists point out that these students and soldiers will always be lawbreakers and should remain excluded . But they need to be reminded that 2006 's enforcement-only bill not only failed , but also provoked a firestorm of protest that makes the current demonstrations regarding Arizona 's new immigration law look like picnics . Border control and enforcement , like legalization , needs to move forward incrementally and be paired with a scaled-down sweetener : DREAM .

Here , then , is the mini-bargain . Supporting the DREAM act is good politics for Republican restrictionists , who need to avoid appearing mean-spirited -LRB- which turns off independents -RRB- and anti-Latino for their electoral future . Legalization forces can get DREAM , but they must also support increased border enforcement .

It is time to try something new . The pursuit of a 1986-style grand bargain is blocking the path of potential patriotic soldiers and is failing good kids -- as well as America 's future .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John D. Skrentny .

@highlight

John Skrentny : Immigration reformers must scale back ; they ca n't get everything at once

@highlight

1986 act tying legalization and border control failed ; wo n't work today , he writes

@highlight

Skrentny says start with the strongest claims to legalization : students and soldiers

@highlight

Author supports bipartisan DREAM act , which offers `` mini-bargains '' for legalization